Texas is a well-known energy state, and is famous for oil and gas production. But surprising to many, it is also the nation’s leading electricity producer, generating more than 10% of the total US electric energy annually, according to the Energy Industry Administration’s most recent report. In fact, on a global energy producer scale, Texas would rank number 12, between South Korea and the United Kingdom.
With vast supplies of natural gas and coal, it is the national leader in electricity generated from fossil fuels, but Texas also leads in production by intermittent renewables – wind and solar.
To utilize these resources, Texas augmented their grid by creating Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, and constructed CREZ transmission lines to deliver these valuable resources to consumers. The Energy Reliability Council of Texas is charged with providing this massive market with dependable electric power. Even though the capacity of intermittent resources on the ERCOT grid is an impressive 15 percent, the energy generated and transported is still only about 8 percent – but growing.
How will Texas manage increasing penetration of renewable energy on the ERCOT grid? Are the CREZ lines situated to take advantage of optimum wind and solar regions? What are the risks and rewards for energy producers and consumers?
Join us with industry expert Ron Seidel, former president of Texas Independent Energy, to share his insights and delve into these questions in our live webinar.
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Ron Seidel is principal of RBS Energy Consulting, working with private equity, investment banks, and government on electric energy issues primarily in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market.
Prior to his consultancy, Ron was president of Texas Independent Energy with full P & L responsibility for two 1,000 megawatt combined-cycle plants in ERCOT, senior vice president of Energy Supply at City Public Service of San Antonio, and an executive at TXU where, among other duties, he was senior vice president of Fossil Generation and Mining, president of TXU Energy Trading, and operations manager at the Comanche Peak Nuclear Plant.
Ron holds his Mechanical Engineering degree from New Mexico State University; earned his M.B.A. from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University; is a registered professional engineer in Texas; and has held a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Senior Reactor Operator license.
